Industry News

Installers urged not to overlook indoor air quality

With new research revealing that chemicals in everyday objects can be just as harmful as vehicle emissions, Xpelair is urging installers to place a renewed focus on improving indoor air quality.

In the UK alone air pollution is said to have contributed to 40,000 deaths each year, and the study, carried out by Colorado University, paints a shocking picture of the hidden dangers lurking in the home. It has revealed that Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a key contributor to city air pollution, and can be found in a range of everyday objects including cleaning fluids and paints.

The study, which experts say is applicable to industrialised nations including those in Europe, highlights how indoor air pollution is something that is often overlooked when considering the impact harmful emissions can have.

Lee Stones, senior product marketing manager for Xpelair, comments: “With the government pledging to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 it comes as no surprise that air pollution is such a big risk factor. However, as this study shows, many don’t realise that our homes and workplaces are a breeding ground for VOCs, the impact of which the research states have been underestimated in the past.

“It’s not all bad news as there are simple ways to lessen the impact of poor air quality. Mechanical ventilation is one key way to improve air quality by ensuring poor quality air is removed from a property, allowing fresh, clean air to be circulated.”

Whole house ventilation is key when factoring efficiency and systems such as Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV), or even more compelling, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), are crucial for removing chemicals that may build in the home. However, single room ventilation solutions still play an important role and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Appliances such as Xpelair’s Simply SilentTM Contour Fan are one answer to this problem. Tested to be one of the quietest bathroom fans on the market, it is recognised with the Quiet Mark of approval and will help ensure ventilation doesn’t become an inconvenience. The Simply Silent range features GhostTM Air Movement Technology, which raises the bar in domestic ventilation technology.

MVHR is ideal for smaller homes, flats or apartments where insulation levels are high. Available as a centralised, whole-house system or single room units, this proven technology extracts moist, stale air from inside the property and replaces it with fresh, filtered, incoming air. Crucially, it uses heat from the outgoing air to warm the incoming air and high-efficiency systems can warm air up to more than 90% of the extracted air temperature.

An innovative response to the need for MVHR is Xpelair’s Natural Air 180, which raises the bar in modern domestic ventilation. Providing an efficient and flexible approach to whole house ventilation the unit has been purpose designed for consistent performance and provides an unrivalled level of flexibility. From NOX filtration for optimised safety through to PIR sensor activity for enhanced efficiency and cold-climate pre-heating, each unit can be customised with an extensive range of Xpelair add-ons and integrations in line with each unique user requirement.